[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 131 (Monday, September 19, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       ALVARO de LUGO POST OFFICE

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the 
Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 4190) to designate the building located 
at 41-42 Norre Gade in Saint Thomas, VI, for the period of time during 
which it houses operations of the United States Postal Service, as the 
``Alvaro de Lugo Post Office,'' with Senate amendments thereto, and 
concur in the Senate amendments.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The Clerk read the Senate amendments, as follows:

       Senate amendments: Page 2, after line 2, insert:

     SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF EXCLUSIONARY AUTHORITY.

       Section 1005(d) of title 39, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``(d)'' and inserting ``(d)(1)''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(2) The provisions of subsection (g) of section 5532, 
     subsections (i) and (l)(2) of section 8344, and subsections 
     (f) and (i)(2) of section 8468 of title 5 shall apply with 
     respect to the Postal Service. For purposes of so applying 
     such provisions--
       ``(A) any reference in such provisions to the head of an 
     Executive agency shall be considered a reference to the 
     Postmaster General; and
       ``(B) any reference in such provisions to an employee shall 
     be considered a reference to an officer or employee of the 
     Postal Service.''.

     SEC. 4. ASSIGNMENT AUTHORITY.

       Section 8706(e) of title 5, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``Federal judge'' and inserting ``employee 
     or former employee'';
       (2) by striking ``judge's'' and inserting ``employee's or 
     former employee's''; and
       (3) by striking ``purchase'' and inserting ``purchased''.

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
amendments be reconsidered as read and printed in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the original request 
of the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I wish to 
state that the minority has no objections to approval of H.R. 4190 as 
amended by the Senate. H.R. 4190 names a post office in the Virgin 
Islands after Alvaro de Lugo. The Senate amended this measure by adding 
provisions similar to House-approved H.R. 3246. H.R. 3246 was approved 
by the House on July 19, 1994 and provided for the waiver of the dual 
compensation provisions with respect to the temporary hiring by the 
Postal Service of retired rural letter carriers. Mr. Speaker, this is 
good legislation. I supported its passage in the House and urge my 
colleagues to continue their support for this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, under my reservation I yield to the gentlewoman from the 
District of Columbia [Ms. Norton].
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4190, a bill to designate the U.S. post 
office located at 41-42 Norre Gade in Saint Thomas, VI, as the ``Alvaro 
de Lugo United States Post Office,'' passed the House on May 23, 1994 
under suspension of the rules. On July 19, 1994, H.R. 3246, to extend 
to the U.S. Postal Service the authority under the provisions of title 
5, U.S. Code, to seek from the Office of Personnel Management [OPM] 
waivers of the annuity offset provisions contained in sections 8344 and 
8468 of title 5, passed the House under suspension of the rules.
  Section one of H.R. 3246, as amended, would authorize the U.S. Postal 
Service to either request that OPM waive the annuity offset provisions 
of title 5 on a case-by-case basis, or request that OPM delegate 
authority to the Postmaster General to waive the provisions in 
emergency or unusual circumstances.
  Under current law, when Federal retirees are reemployed by the 
Federal Government, their salaries are offset by the amount of their 
annuity payments. Reemployed annuitants continue to receive their 
monthly annuity payments. The employing agency then pays the retiree 
the amount of salary in excess of the amount of the annuity, and 
reimburses the Federal Retirement Trust Fund with the amount of the 
annuity. If an agency, however, wishes to have an exemption from these 
rules, it may request a waiver from the Office of Personnel Management 
[OPM]. Currently, the Postal Service does not have the option to 
request such a waiver from OPM.
  The Senate amended H.R. 4190 by adding the provisions of H.R. 3246. 
In addition the Senate amended H.R. 3246 to permit the Postal Service 
to hire military retirees and waive the reemployed annuitant 
restrictions in those instances as well. The Post Office and Civil 
Service Committee has no objection to this amendment.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the original request 
of the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
  There was no objection.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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